And now they're preparing for a rare local concert as headliners of Exit Dome 4, the annual benefit for the FM radio station WEXT, or Exit 97.7. That takes place Saturday. Then, they resume their role as budding stars on the national music scene with an appearance Feb. 2 on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."

"It was definitely a year that started off with a bang and ended with a bang," Barthel says. "We were pretty much busy the whole year. It was wonderful."

The past year was their first with Barsuk Records, the national indie label in Seattle, with which they signed in fall 2009. In February 2010, Barsuk released Phantogram's debut CD, "Eyelid Movies," with the popular single "Mouthful of Diamonds." The company provided a publicist and marketing campaign for the album and tours -- some on which Phantogram opened for such bands as The xx and Minus the Bear, and some on which it was the headliner.

"We had an amazing year with Phantogram," says Wes Howerton, director of radio promotions and tour marketing for Barsuk. "A lot of other tours in the country were doing half the numbers that everybody thought they would. Phantogram actually sold more tickets than anybody expected them to."

The duo, often with Tim Oakley -- of the Capital Region band Mathematicians -- on drums, played clubs, small halls, private engagements and festivals. They performed about 130 concerts -- in Europe, Canada and the Dominican Republic, and from California to Maine.

"What made it so special was that going in we were nervous, wondering, 'Who's going to show up?' " Carter says during an interview at Starbucks on Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

"We were afraid there might be five people at the shows," Barthel adds.

"But we sold out big clubs in tons of cities we hadn't ever been to before -- Tallahassee, Minneapolis, Seattle, Phoenix," Carter says.

"We didn't know anybody ever even heard of us in Phoenix," Barthel says.

They bumped into fans before shows who were awestruck that they were actually meeting ... Phantogram. Fans knew their songs and sang along at the shows. They met Barrymore, the actress, backstage in Hollywood after their opening set.

"Drew Barrymore took a picture of you," Carter says to Barthel.

"Well, she liked my leggings," Barthel says.

Matthew Carefully, a musician and a founder of Collar City Records in Troy, isn't surprised at Phantogram's success. He was one of Barthel and Carter's earliest fans, back when they called themselves Charlie Everywhere and passed out two-song demos for free to strangers on the street.

"Phantogram has a musical DNA that is infectious and appealing to many different musical camps," Carefully says. "Unique beats, swirling guitars, memorable melodies and, most important, good songs set the band apart.

"They've grown in many ways. Most notably their live show -- with the addition of visuals, a live drummer and subtle-yet-powerful rearrangements to the album songs -- has developed from something that was already good to something that is absolutely stunning."

Barthel, who plays keyboards, and Carter, who plays guitar and drums (they both sing), are back home writing songs for an EP to be released perhaps in the spring. Their second video, "When I'm Small," is coming out soon. And then they'll go back on the road where, they hope, they'll graduate from clubs that hold several hundred to halls that seat a couple of thousand.

They're already booked at the three-day Coachella Music Festival in Indio, Calif., near Palm Springs. The day they play, April 17, Kanye West headlines.

"We are living our dream, as cheesy as that sounds," Barthel says.

"We're finally earning money," Carter says. "We actually have money in a savings account. But as Sarah said the other day, 'Just remember, we've been at this for three years. So really this is three years worth of work.' "

"When you really think about it," Barthel says, "this probably gets us back to even, considering all the equipment and expenses and everything."